Hachez is a German chocolate company who has been making chocolate since 1890 with beans from Equador and Venezuela. They started making the fine little chocolate leaves that we just tasted in 1923.

What did I think?

The little 77%Cocoa d’Arriba leaves were just up my alley. The key words here are bitter (in a good way), ultra smooth texture, and licorice.

Licorice?Just keep reading…

About the chocolate.At first I thought I could taste a little strawberry flavor then a nice bitter finish, which is something that I really enjoy.

Incredibly long lasting finish for such a small chocolate leaf.Very satisfying.

Ultrasmooth texture, probably because Hachez grinds the chocolate until a fineness of 0.014 millimeters has been achieved then conch for 72 long hours.

Here comes the big “wow”…

Paired with the excellent wine that the chocolate came packaged with, a 2005 Siegendorf 60% cabernet sauvignon / 40% merlot from Austria, the flavor completely changes to a strong taste of black licorice.

I know that doesn’t sound pleasant to have chocolate or wine taste like black licorice but please don’t shy away.Really, this combination actually works very well and produces a “wow” flavor experience too interesting to pass up.

Long version: I’m a chocolate enthusiast / blogger who left behind common chocolate to seek out the slow melt, diverse flavors, and creative personalities of the fine chocolate world.

The first time I encountered the complex, delicate aromas, and varied textures of fine chocolate sparked a fascination, almost immediately the journey to find and fully understand and share the wonder of fine cacao began.

My hunger for learning more about every aspect of the chocolate industry takes me around the world to meet with cacao farmers, chocolate makers, shop owners, and visit chocolate events.

I'm co-founder of the Pacific Northwest Chocolate Society. I’m also a member of the Chocolate Aficionados Guild, participant in the Cacao Grader program, contributor to various lifestyle, cooking, and chocolate publications, and a judge for chocolate competitions.

I love to travel with my family, and enjoy some form of chocolate every day.